Lincoln Riley hasn’t had to do this very much in 2022: Talk to the media after a USC loss. In fact, he hasn’t had to do this except after games against Utah. The Utes had the Trojans’ number. They geared up for USC and provided a physical standard the Trojans’ defense could not match. In Game 1 on October 15, the Utes threw the ball all game and were able to keep quarterback Cam Rising clean. In Game 2 on Friday night in Las Vegas, the Utes were able to run the ball and eventually wear down the USC defense with a sledgehammer attack and enough third-down passes to keep the Trojans on the field.
Riley saw up close how much Utah exposed the Trojans at their weakest points. See how he reacted to this loss, which creates a lot of questions heading into the bowl game and, beyond that, the coming offseason:
UNFORTUNATE
Riley says Caleb Williams popped his hamstring on the long run he had in the first quarter.
“He wouldn’t even let me take him out at the end.”
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) December 3, 2022
BIG PICTURE
Riley: “We’re not going to walk around like this is some funeral. We made a lot of progress to get to this point.”
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) December 3, 2022
FACT
Lincoln Riley gives Utah’s staff and players credit, saying they deserved to win tonight and was the better team tonight.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) December 3, 2022
WELL, IT DID RESEMBLE THE DEFENSE AGAINST UTAH ON OCTOBER 15
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said to get here and not get it done is very, very disappointing.
He said the Trojans deserve a lot of credit for getting here, but their play didn't resemble what they've looked like all year.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
NO QUESTION
Lincoln Riley on Utah: “They were definitely the better team tonight. They deserved it.”
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) December 3, 2022
FACING THE FACTS
“Obviously a disappointing night for us,” Lincoln Riley says. pic.twitter.com/Hbt38blhqC
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) December 3, 2022
VERY GUTSY
Lincoln Riley says Caleb Williams popped his hamstring on his long run. "He was not even 50 percent. … I thought about taking him out but he wouldn't let me … maybe the gutsiest performance (at that position) I've ever seen."
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 3, 2022
MAMBA MENTALITY
#USC QB Caleb Williams related his hamstring injury to an old rubber band.
Said he tried to follow a Kobe Bryant mantra that the game is bigger than what you're feeling.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
SIGH
I asked Caleb Williams what it felt like when he got hurt. “You ever have an old rubber band? That’s kind of what it felt like.”
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 3, 2022
BRUTAL
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said Andrew Vorhees hasn't been anywhere close to 100 percent the second half of the season.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
IT'S COMPLICATED
Lincoln Riley on USC’s lack of establishing the run, “There’s sometimes where I deserve fault for that.”
Riley said he didn’t stick with the run early in the game when he probably should’ve.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) December 3, 2022
TRUTH
#USC HC Lincoln Riley: It comes down to they made more plays than we did.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
34-24
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said the key sequence was giving up the big touchdown to Yassmin after the Trojans had stolen the momentum back.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
AND YET HE STILL BATTLED
Here’s the rest of that quote from Riley on Williams’ injury: “I asked him at one point, I was like, are you 50%? And I mean, he was not even close to 50%. I definitely thought about taking him out.”
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) December 3, 2022
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said their run game became limited because Caleb Williams was immobile.
Riley took blame as well saying there were times when he could have called more runs.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
TALKING POINT
Cam Rising, asked about Caleb Williams' "Fuck Utah" nail polish, said, "I don't give a shit. He can put whatever he wants on there. … Hope he likes it."
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 3, 2022
UNDENIABLE
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said #Utah did a better job playing together as a team.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
DIDN'T WANT OUT
#USC QB Caleb Williams was asked about his hamstring & why he continued to play @On3USC #FightOn✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/Cjr1oWEVG6
— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) December 3, 2022
SH** HAPPENS
Lincoln Riley said #USC QB Caleb Williams hurt his hamstring on the long run early in the game.
"He wasn't even 50 percent. I definitely thought about taking him out — he wouldn't let me. … Shit, that's as gutsy a performance as you'll see."
— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) December 3, 2022
PANIC
#USC HC Lincoln Riley said the defense panicked at the end trying to create turnovers rather than getting players on the ground.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
IT MATTERED
#USC HC Lincoln Riley giving a lot of credit to #Utah and their experience of being in this game before.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) December 3, 2022
OH, WAIT -- THIS WAS FROM THE NOTRE DAME GAME, NOT THE UTAH GAME
Lincoln Riley on USC’s defense: I got sick and tired about hearing how we were going to get pounded in the run game. That didn’t happen.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) November 27, 2022